Best Wishes
by Skymouth
Summary: All she ever wanted was for him to notice her. MuFuu Language


Best Wishes

A Samurai Champloo Fanfic

BY: Brenna "Snakelady" Dawkins

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: created by Manglobe, manga by Masaru Gotsubo and Tokyo Pop, I own nothing and make no profit from this fic, nor were any harmed during the making of this fic.

Summary: All she ever wanted was for him to notice her. MuFuu (Language)

She'd been pleased to wake up and found a small, loosely bound package lying beside her. It was a small package but it didn't matter. Her well placed hints of it being her birthday did not fall on deaf ears after all like she had suspected. She knew immediately it was from Jin. She sighed inwardly as she hoped beyond hope that Mugen would somehow surprise her. He could be an incorrigible bastard much of the time, but despite his uncouth mannerisms, she couldn't help but like him.

Picking up the package, she peeled back the rice paper wrapping and smiled softly at the generous gift. The man had an eye for color. It was a darker shade of obi then the one she typically wore. It was a formal obi belt too; its embroidery was elaborate and captured the eye. It was beautiful and expensive, she knew. She unwound her old obi and took her time to tie up the new one. Fuu decided to wear it in the new style with it tied in the back instead of front. She struggled with it for some time, unused to the new style. But she was determined and after a good deal of grumbling and muttering, she got it in place.

It looked beautiful with her kimono. Yes, Jin definitely had an eye for color. She knew she probably shouldn't wear it except for special occasions, but it was her birthday after all. She wanted to show it off to the two young men. To Jin because she wanted him to see it modeled on her and to Mugen… well, maybe just once she could secure a non-snide remark out of that one.

She found Jin on the edge of the river they were camping out at on the outskirts of town. She felt a little guilty that with the money Jin had paid for her obi, they could have gotten some descent rooms instead. He was bent over his latest catch of the day. She noted the roasting perch beside the fire was almost done. Good because she was hungry.

She had thought she hadn't made a sound, but the ever primed Jin turned around at her approach and gave her his usual discerning, unreadable gaze.

"The color pleases you?" He said at length, taking note that she had donned his gift.

Fuu nodded emphatically. "Oh, very much, thank you, Jin! You didn't have to get me anything, you know!"

He raised an eyebrow. She'd been hinting that her birthday was coming up for four days now. She must work on her subtlety a bit more he decided.

"It suites you." He said simply.

She grinned and blushed slightly at his praise. "Thanks, Jin. Where's Mugen? I'd like to show him."

Jin's expression never faltered. "He never came in from town last night."

"Really? Do you think… he's alright?" Fuu asked a little anxious for the missing body guard. "Should we go looking for him?"

"He can take care of himself, Fuu. You know where he went."

Fuu hung her head slightly and sighed sadly. "Red light district?" When Jin nodded she clenched her fists and trembled a bit as she gathered her emotions back into her. "Well… FINE! It's not like he'd notice me anyway! He's such a jerk! He knew it was my birthday today and he chooses to spend it with some whore instead! See if I take care of him any more when he's injured now! He can change his OWN bandages!"

Jin watched as she stomped back the way she had come. He watched as she stopped, turned, stomped back to the fire and grabbed up a good portion of fish, then continued on, grumbling angrily to herself.

"Hm." Jin said to himself as he always does when in thought. He continued with his task.

It was well after dusk when a drunken Mugen stumbled into camp and collapsed beside the fire Jin had been tending. Mugen flung an arm over his eyes and groaned tiredly.

"You had a good time again, I see." Jin said disapprovingly.

"No law against that yet." Mugen growled and had a nasty feeling that he was going to be on the receiving end of another one of the annoying ronin's lectures.

"You spent all of your money, didn't you?"

"Yeah… money I earned working damn hard! You know how I roll, I work hard and I play even harder! Now shut the hell up and lemme sleep!"

"THERE you are!"

Mugen knew that voice all too well and he groaned. Great, not only was he going to get lectured by Jin as if he were still a child, but Fuu was obviously about to give him an earful over whatever imagined slight he'd perpetuated this time.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She began and Mugen expertly tuned her out as she continued to rant at him.

Damn broad could go on for hours, he grit his teeth and kept his arm over his face.

"Hey, Mugen! You even listening to me?"

'No,' he thought to himself. 'You'da thunk she'd have figured that out by now.'

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, will ya?"

"Why? There's nothing to look at." Mugen said rudely in reference to her lack of feminine curves.

He expected her to burst at him in anger and mutter her usual string of curses at him but the strange silence lasted long enough for him to uncover his eyes and prop himself up. Fuu was gone and only Jin remained.

"You really are a simple creature. Foolish." Jin muttered from his vantage.

"What was that?" Mugen bit back angrily. "I'm not in the mood for another one of your condescending lectures, four eyes!"

"You made her cry." Jin said.

Mugen sat up looking grim. "I'm not apologizing for stating the truth!"

"She likes you."

Mugen jerked back a bit as if stung. His face was still somewhat angry. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I can't imagine why she does. You are the most uncouth, unsanitary, and unsavory individual I've ever had the misfortune to travel with." Jin went on. "Today was her birthday. She wanted to spend it with us and you were not there."

Mugen snorted. "I spend all day long every day with her on the road! What's with that damn bitch? Now she wants to spend every waking moment with me? Forget that!"

"Today would have meant something for her. It would have meant that she meant more to you then some low class whore. But you confirmed to her that you care for no one but yourself. I do not understand why she'd waste tears over your ilk." With that Jin stood and walked off into the heavy underbrush to go find a place to meditate.

Mugen watched him leave as he sat there cross legged. He then stared into the fire and pictured an image of Fuu crying because of him.

Damn, girly! He thought to himself. Of all the people he'd ever met, she was the only individual who had the power to make him feel guilty over his actions. He hated that she had such power over him. Why should he feel guilty? Why was he standing up and why was he preparing to go look for the damn bitch?

He went into the underbrush in a different direction, easily able to track the path that Fuu had made. The path eventually opened up into a small, grassy field. The field was devoid of Fuu. She must have kept on going up the gently sloping hill and back into the forest that surrounded him. He was about to move after her when he spied a patch of moon flowers. Pausing in his step, he stopped and knelt down and began to gather them up.

Fuu was sitting at the crest of the hill and staring up at the stars. She'd ceased her weeping long ago but could not let go of her sadness. Fuu brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tight as she let her chin rest on them. Why did Mugen have to be so mean to her? Weren't they friends at the very least? She thought she knew what she wanted from him at the very most but had never been able to admit it out loud. She was afraid that saying how she truly felt about him out loud would keep it from happening. Not that it ever could happen, she sniffled. Mugen was Mugen. He was nasty, dirty, vile, a pain in the ass, and self destructive. She couldn't understand what it was about him that made her feel the way she did. She often covered up her true feelings with the exact opposite words if only because Mugen sometimes drover her to distraction.

She jumped when she felt something lightly fall onto her head. Her hand darted for the offending object and she yanked it off. She stared at what was dangling in her hand… a neatly woven garland of moon flowers. Blinking, she could only stare in silence for a moment or two. Unnerved, she slowly turned around and gawked at the intruder.

Without a word, Mugen walked beside her and sat down with his legs crossed and looked up at the stars.

The petite young girl stared at the lean, wiry figure of her body guard for a moment more before she stared back at the garland. Another moment went by and she placed it gently back on top of her head.

"They're beautiful. Thank you." Fuu said with her head turned down a bit and blushed.

"They're just flowers."

"They mean a lot to me… because you gave them to me."

"You ain't gonna get all mushy on me now, are ya?"

She heard the annoyance in his voice and the corner of her mouth turned up slightly. She knew him well enough that it was his way of apologizing without having to actually apologize. That he had made the effort meant more to her then an actual vocal apology.

"Jin get you that?"

Startled at his words she nodded. "Yeah." She smiled, happy that he had indeed noticed after all.

"So that's how he spends his half of the money. And he calls me frivolous. How many chances you gonna get to wear that anyway?" He groused.

She was smiling and looked back up at the stars. "It's not about the money, it's the effort. He remembered."

"No one celebrates my birthday." Mugen snorted.

"You've never told anyone when it was."

"Like it matters. Just another day like any other. Like I'm gonna live to be fifty." He muttered with disdain.

"I hope you do."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I like having you around."

She heard him snort again. "Can't even be completely honest with yourself, can ya, girly?"

"What?" She asked feeling suddenly nervous.

"I dare ya to say it out loud."

Her breath caught in her throat. He knew? But… how? She trembled slightly and hugged herself tighter. "Why… what good would it do?"

Mugen shrugged. "Guess you'll never know since you won't tell me."

He could be so infuriating when he was cocky! She bit her bottom lip and tried to loose herself in the unblinking eye of the cosmos before her. But it did her no good. No matter how big the sky seemed to her, Mugen would always be larger then life.

"I… like you… there… I said it!" She said in a rush.

"There now, was that so hard?"

She could hear the humor in his voice and she wanted to scream at him for everything. Instead she raised her hand in order to smack his arm but he was, as usual, quicker then she and had her wrist in his iron grip. He was staring down at her intensely. She anxiously stared back up into his dark eyes and wondered what was on his mind.

Where a half hour ago Mugen was ready to hit the sack from sheer exhaustion, at the moment he was quite ready for another round with a woman. And that's what Fuu had turned into on their journey, astonishingly enough. He knew he cared for her on a level that he didn't really want to explore. Why else would she be able to make him feel guilt? Why else did he go along with her stupid journey with no clues? Why else would he take her abuse? She drove him crazy in more ways then one.

He hadn't released her arm and was still staring at her with that intense fire in his eyes.

"Mugen?" She whispered almost breathlessly.

He grinned at her and leaned forward and pulled her towards him at the same time. "Shut up, girly. I'm about to make your birthday wish come true."

The End


End file.
